If you’ve been following Stella’s journey since the beginning, you’ll know that we’re long-time supporters of the incredible work being done at the Women’s and Girl’s Emergency Centre (WAGEC) in Sydney. In fact, as of May 2024, our partnership has helped to raise $155,380 and counting to support women and children to walk away from domestic and family violence.
No one is closer to the organisation’s mission of ending gender-based violence than Nicole Yade, CEO at WAGEC. After rising through the ranks over the past two years, Nicole was recently promoted to the position of CEO to spearhead WAGEC’s work serving the most marginalised women and children in our community.
As part of our Equal Pay Day 2024 campaign, we sat down with Nicole to discuss what needs to change to close the gender pay gap, how WAGEC is empowering women to build financial literacy and her proudest career moments to date.
What motivated you to work at a feminist, grassroots organisation like WAGEC?
In early 2024, Nicole stepped into the role of CEO at WAGEC. But Nicole’s journey at this feminist, grassroots organisation dates back to 2022 when she started as Director of Client Services, working to create safety for the clients that walk through WAGEC’s doors.
“I was the Director of Client Services, then moved into the Deputy CEO role, and now the CEO role. I’m so grateful for that opportunity to progress at WAGEC.
For over 25 years now, I’ve worked primarily in the NGO sector, working in trauma across cultures for the most part. I started out working with Aboriginal communities and then working with refugees and asylum seekers, and now with victims of trauma, who are mostly women and children fleeing domestic and family violence.
I’m extra passionate about that because I’m a victim survivor myself and have lived experience of domestic violence and homelessness. It feels like a full circle moment, trying to use my experiences, complemented by my qualifications and professional experience, to make a difference for women and children in our community.
We work with the LGBTQI+ community as well as clients from culturally diverse backgrounds as well as many Aboriginal women and children. Our team works towards our shared goal of gender equality and creating safe futures for all women and families.”
August 19th marks Equal Pay Day 2024. What do you believe needs to change to close the gender pay gap?
“It’s such a big question, right?
Fundamentally, we need to acknowledge the work women do as valuable—both in a home and professional setting. So often, the professions that women lead, like community services and nursing, are undervalued, and there isn’t always enough funding to support those services. We’ve got to change that.
Nothing lifts my heart more than seeing incredible women moving in male-dominated industries and spaces as well. We’re seeing more women than ever in politics, STEM, engineering and science. It’s so important for us as a community that we’re seeing women in every profession, with women often highlighting issues that weren’t getting enough of the spotlight before.
If we don’t value the contributions of women, we’re missing half the story. While it’s wonderful to see that we’re making progress, we’ve still got a long way to go.
Plus, we need to make sure we’re valuing the contributions of all women, not only white, heterosexual, cis women. We need to make intersectional commitments to ensure we’re seeing all women of every race and nationality included and valued.”
Can you talk us through some key initiatives WAGEC is currently running to support women’s financial independence?
“At WAGEC, we’re so sure that financial independence is part of the solution to ending domestic and family violence. It’s really important that we’re encouraging people to build new skills as they’re stepping away from violence.
When it comes to navigating all kinds of abuse (including financial abuse and coercive control), we help the women we work with build financial literacy skills, whether that’s opening their own bank account for the first time, creating a budget or even understanding what it means to receive money from Centrelink.
We work with women 1:1 with a case worker to improve their financial literacy. Plus, we run mentoring programs such as ACCESS, where volunteer community members mentor and help our clients to increase their self-confidence and set goals for the future.
It’s so rewarding to see women moving out of the refuge into their own apartments with their own budget and feeling confident about the next steps they’re taking towards education or a goal in employment. Programs like ACCESS are transformative for the lives of women and the lives of kids, too.”
What are a few practical steps you’d urge women to take to boost their financial literacy?
“Firstly, don’t let anyone do it for you when it comes to managing your money. It’s okay to seek advice and support, but it’s important to understand what’s coming and going out of your own bank account. Every woman is capable of understanding their own financial position, such as their bills and expenses.
Secondly, if you have questions or are unsure, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It can be painful, but calling your bank or energy provider if you’re unsure about something can be so helpful. Put those feelings of embarrassment aside and get the information you need to make informed decisions.”
Outside of your role at WAGEC, what has been your proudest achievement to date and why?
“I was really blessed this past year to be awarded the not-for-profit scholarship from Chief Executive Women. It gave me the opportunity to travel to Harvard University and access executive education.
It was just such an incredible experience to be at Harvard, of all places. I grew up in Blacktown in a very working-class family and never would have imagined myself at Harvard learning from the most incredible leadership professors in the world. It wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Chief Executive Women as well as lots of incredible women and mentors who’ve given me a nudge and urged me on over the years.
Now, I’m doing that for other women. I really try to encourage them to stretch a little bit out of their comfort zone because that seems to be where the most growth is.
Even this past year, walking into Harvard, I was a bit intimated by the place and found myself asking, ‘do I belong here?’ But within a couple of days, I settled in. So even if you feel uncomfortable, I’d urge you to do it anyway.”
How do you prioritise work-life balance? What daily rituals keep you grounded?
“I’m laughing because the truth is, sometimes I don’t get the work-life balance right—it’s really hard.
I actually have a sign above my computer that says, ‘20 years from now, the only people who will remember that you worked late will be your children.’ I’ve got four kids, and I work really hard, but I try to prioritise them and get out of work at a reasonable time.
The practices that keep me grounded and help me manage stress are exercise and meditation. When we’re doing this work, it can be really stressful. We’re working with women and meeting families at some of the hardest days of their lives.
In order to give people the best of ourselves, we need to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves first—because you can’t help anyone else if you’re not okay.”
If readers want to support WAGEC, what is the best way to do so?
“We’re so grateful for any support from the community, whether that’s jumping on social media and following along with us or joining our annual Walk For WAGEC event in Sydney.
Receiving donations is always super meaningful for us as well, particularly as many of our programs aren’t funded by the government. Plus, there are ways to volunteer for our programs, such as our ACCESS mentoring program, which is a fantastic way to support local women in our community who might be doing it tough.”
Stay up to date with Nicole on LinkedIn and support WAGEC by following this incredible organisation on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
